WomEngineers Welcome Dinner Offers Introductions and Networking for Incoming Students
The women of the University of Tennessee Tickle College of Engineering (TCE) 2016 freshman class enjoyed a formal introduction to their studies during the WomEngineer’s Welcome Dinner on Thursday, August 18, at the UT Panhellenic Building.
The evening included welcome messages from Dr. Masood Parang, TCE associate dean for academic and student affairs; engineering professors Dr. Angel Palomino and Dr. Jamie Coble; TCE Board of Advisors members Misty Mayes and Jacinda Woodward; and Jalonda N. Thompson, assistant director of Engineering Diversity Programs.
Taylor Short, electrical engineering student and event chair for the WomEngineer’s Leadership Council, introduced Mayes, a TCE alumnus and president of Management Solutions LLC, who spoke to the group about her role with the WomEngineer’s executive board and leadership council. Mayes offered the incoming first-year students some historical perspective, as well, pointing out that while there are many women engineering students now, there was a point just a few decades ago when it was actually difficult to even find a women’s restroom on the engineering campus.
Palomino and Coble addressed the attendees to open the networking session during and after the dinner. Students, staff, and faculty mingled to chat about experiences, expectations, and specific programs available to students.
“I saw an opportunity to share my enthusiasm with other engineers,” said Dr. Jenny Retherford, lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “The fact that they were women was a bit of a secondary thought to me. More importantly, I knew that I could connect with freshmen that had a spark of interest in engineering and I wanted to provide a bit of encouragement, advice, and excitement. I saw the dinner as an opportunity to reassure that the women freshmen had made the right choice in selecting engineering as a profession.”
“I thought that being a part of the dinner would help set the tone for Engineering Fundamentals female students—that we are excited about their presence here at UT and want to help and support them to achieve their goals from day one,” said Dr. Rachel McCord, a research assistant professor in Engineering Fundamentals. “I wanted our first-year female students to know that we have a strongly supportive faculty and staff community here in the Tickle College of Engineering.”
Experienced engineering students offered information in small-groups in addition to the open networking discussions. One speaker was Jasmine Worlds, a mechanical engineering major who is the former academic excellence chair for the UT chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, and also communications chair for the WomEngineer’s Leadership Council.
“It’s great to see women engineering students come to together and interact with one another,” said Worlds. “This experience is something that I definitely wish I had when I entered as a freshman here at UT. I wanted to convey the importance of building a network with their peers, as well as taking advantage of the various resources that the Tickle College of Engineering has to offer. As someone who has had the opportunity to attend an Engineering Study Abroad experience at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, I had the opportunity to become more culturally aware and see an original steam engine run. I feel that it is important for our underclassmen to be aware of the various things you can do as an engineering student.”
TCE Student Ambassador Mary McBride, representing the UT chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), let her groups know that getting involved in student organizations can enrich your experience at UT.
“I wanted the first-year women engineers to know that we would love to help them succeed here through involvement in leadership or research,” said McBride, a chemical engineering major. “AIChE specifically is interested in educating engineers beyond what they learn in the classroom, through Chem-E-Car, presentations from professionals, and the opportunity to attend regional and national conferences.”
Following the open networking activities, dinner keynote speaker Samantha Medina elaborated on the importance and rewards of involvement in undergraduate research and organizations with the question, “Tired of flipping burgers?” Medina, also an AIChE member, is a senior in materials science and engineering, and does undergraduate research with the Zawodzinski Group in the Department of Chemical Engineering.
“I mostly wanted to encourage the students to find ways of getting involved outside of the classroom and to find mentors earlier rather than later,” she said. “I emphasized undergraduate research and student organization involvement because the quality of my undergraduate career has been greatly enhanced from my participation in the lab and AIChE.”
Medina also enjoyed connecting with the first-year engineers through sharing her own experience at UT.
“Interacting with the new students was special because it reminded me of how I felt when I was a freshman,” said Medina. “I really wanted to help motivate these students to feel confident about their choice to pursue engineering at UT. I was also very excited to see all the friendships forming. I’m sure this has greatly benefited all of the students.”
Woodward, Senior Vice President for Transmission & Power Supply with the Tennessee Valley Authority, offered closing remarks to thank the college faculty and staff, student representatives, and event organizers.
Thompson ended the evening encouraging the students to continue networking and interacting with each other, and announced door prizes for the event.
